Moving On
by When the Crow flies
Summary: Bad things happen to the best of people, Aelita witnesses this first hand on a night that shook her and all of Kadic academy to the core. She must decide whether she will let sadness and depression weigh her down or go on with her life despite the piece missing from her heart. Rated M for character deaths and other thing. OddXAelita
1. Chapter 1

*Author's note* Thank you for reading this short story I have posted, I plan for it to be multiple chapters but you just have to hang with me and my roller coaster life. Once again thank you, oh and feel free to flame I find it constructive and it will help me be a better writer*

Pain. Agonizing, excruciating pain. That's the last thing Odd Della Robbia felt during the last few minutes of his short life. Yet, his last thought was not clouded by the streaks of torturous agony that plagued his body. He knew deep down that he succeeded in his mission, that his demise was not in vain. Even as death's frosty fingers wrapped him in a cold blanket of darkness and solitude he couldn't help but feel a wave of relief wash over him. In his head he knew that he would be gone but his princess would remain.

Aelita slowly opened her eyes and blinked away the swirls of light from her vision. Finally clearing away all the obstructions she glanced around at her drab surroundings. The room she was in belonged to a hospital, she was sure of this due to the many machines beside her bed. She slowly tried to sit up but was pushed down by a wave of nauseous followed closely by a unbearable pain. Gasping Aelita rubbed her temples gently in an attempt to ease the horrible feeling resonating from her head. Finally after a few minutes of whimpering and massaging the sides of her temples Aelita felt the pain dull. Suddenly a feeling of dread forced its way into her already plagued body. "Odd" she whispered fearfully as the memories pushed their way into her mind.

The night was cold, so cold in fact that snow had began to fall from the grey skies. Aelita was dressed in a pink jacket that matched her style perfectly, beside her stood a blond haired boy in a deep purple jacket. The pair laughed happily as they made their way through the woods warm in each others arms. Little did they know the nights sweet tranquility would soon be shattered.

Odd grinned happily as he wrapped his purple clad arms snuggly around Aelita's waist. "Have you had a good night princesses?" He whispered when they paused underneath a large oak tree. Aelita smiled sweetly in the dim red light that the sunset cast over the frigid landscape, "of course" she whispered leaning her head against Odd's shoulder. The couple stood there for a minute enjoying each others warmth, then a twig snapped loudly to Odd's right. The boy released Aelita and stared at the bushes with his eyes narrowed to slits. "Be ready to run" he whispered suspicious of a Xana attack, behind him Aelita nodded causing her pink hair to flutter. Suddenly a dark shape tore out of the bushes at break neck speeds, held in its hand was a long, shiny object. Odd grabbed Aelita's arm and pulled her back seconds before the knife slashed through the protective fabric of his jacket. Hissing in pain Odd clutched his arm, "run" he grunted giving a nod in the direction of the school. Aelita nodded then turned to flee but was stopped when she heard Odd cry out painfully, then suddenly she was thrown violently to the ground.

Aelita winced as her head bounced off a tree's hard exterior, making her vision flare. "Now I'm going to have to kill you" Odd growled pulling a blood stained knife from his stomach. He winced as the Sharp metal tore free, pain ripped through him but he suppressed it. The man laughed evilly as he stared into the eyes of his prey, "I would love to see you try" he growled as his hand pulled another knife from some concealed place.

"Odd!" Aelita screamed as she unsuccessfuly tried to untangle herself from the many tubes and sensors that dotted her body. Hearing the commotion a doctor burst into the room and immediately rushed to the pink haired girls side. "I need you to calm down, your safe now" he said trying his best to gently restrain the struggling girl. "Odd, where are you!" Aelita screamed completely ignoring the doctors pleas. Finally giving up on trying to calm Aelita down, the man reached over and flipped a switch on one of the many machines behind him. Almost immediatly after the liquid seeped into Aelita's arm through an IV she stopped struggling. The last thing she rembered seeing before the world disappeared was Odd's worried stare from across the room.

The doctor sighed as Aelita's eyes slowly drifted shut, he frowned remebering the sudden hope that flashed across the young girl's eyes seconds before she went under. Suddenly a shiver went down the man's spine and he glanced uneasily at a chair sitting in the far corner of the room, unnoticed by him were a pair of dark eyes holding his gaze. Shaking his head, the doctor quickly left the room leaving Aelita sleeping peacefully.

"Sleep peacefully my beautiful princess" Odd whispered sadly as he watched the gentle rise and fall of Aelita's chest. A single tear rolled down the blondes cheek before he slowly faded from view. "Remember me" Odd said in a ghostly whisper that echoed through the room, then he was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Here is the second chapter, thank you for all the likes and comments this story has gotten. Remember flames are accepted and expected, so if you don't like what I'm doing then speak your mind and I will take it into consideration. Once again thank you all for your support.

The days slowly began to blend together as Aelita swam in and out of consciousness. One minute age would be awake, the next she would slip back into the seeming endless cycle. This went on for at least a week, and then finally she woke.

Yumi Ishiyama sighed and pushed her choppy black hair from her eyes. She glanced at her watch then up at a analog clock that hung from the hospital lunchrooms far wall. At the moment Yumi sat alone sipping her coffee and watching the few doctors that had ventured down from the upper floors. "It's four-thirty, you're up" Ulrich announced from behind Yumi causing her to jump slightly. Yumi nodded in acknowledgment then glanced up into Ulrich's brown eyes. "Any change yet?" She asked despite already knowing the answer. "Not yet, she's still asleep" the brunette replied taking his seat across from Yumi. The Japanese teen nodded sadly, "I got you some breakfast" Yumi said after a short silence. "Thanks" Ulrich grunted gratefully as Yumi slid him a small sandwich. "I'm going up, good luck down here" Yumi said as Ulrich unwrapped his breakfast. "See you soon beautiful" the German teen said as his partner left for the double doors that led to the hospital's lobby.

As soon as the elevator doors closed, Yumi sunk to the floor and buried her face in her hands. This wasn't the first time she's cried like this and it wouldn't be the last. The tears slowly streamed down her face as the numbers displayed on the monitor rose steadily. Hiccuping slightly Yumi pushed herself up and began to wipe away her tears. She had to be strong, for Ulrich, Jeremy, and most of all Aelita. Suddenly the elevator lurched to a stop and the heavy metal doors slid silently apart, swallowing Yumi stepped out into the small lobby that sat on the hospital's twelfth floor.

Ulrich sat by himself in the lunch room just like he had been for the last week at this time. No one ever bothered him, they didn't even give him a second glance, this didn't bother Ulrich though, in fact he preferred it. Being alone means he could think, and he had plenty of time to do so recently. Suddenly a flash of purple tore Ulrich from his thoughts, a few tables away a child clad in a large purple jacket was happily bouncing in his seat. Feeling a rush if sadness, Ulrich quickly got up and made his way to the exit doors.

Yumi carefully pushed open the door to Aelita's room and glanced inside expecting the girl inside to be asleep, instead she was met by a small voice. "Hello Yumi" Aelita whispered quietly due to not speaking for a few days. "Aelita!" Yumi exclaimed rushing over and wrapping get arms around the pink haired girl's body. Tears began to drop down from Yumi's eyes as relief flooded over her washing away her fatigue. As soon as she was released, Aelita glanced around the room. "Where's everyone at?" She asked noticing the emptiness of the room. "Ulrich is down stairs, Jeremy is taking care of Xana at the moment, and Odd is..." Yumi said then trailed off as she caught herself. "He's in the lunch room isn't he?" Aelita asked with a small smile. Yumi bit her lip and looked down at her feet. "Odd's not going to be here" Yumi managed to get out before her voice cracked. "What do you mean?" Aelita was about to ask then stopped as a flood of memories forced their way into her mind. "Oh god" she whispered before burying her face in her hands. "I'm so sorry Aelita" Yumi said putting her hand on her friends shoulder, soon both girls were sobbing uncontrollably.

Odd silently watched the two girls weep from the other side of the room, a tightness had formed in the pit if his stomach. "I'm sorry Aelita" he whispered as he suddenly crossed the room and put his hand on Aelita's pink hair. The girl stirred slightly causing Odd to quickly draw his hand back in concern; he glanced at Aelita then back at his hand.

Ulrich quietly stalked through the forest that he'd traversed many times in the last few years. He had left the hospital over two hours ago, Yumi had called him and said Aelita was awake but he didn't care at the moment. Anger flowed through him scalding his insides as he thought of the events of the last few days. A boy silently followed a few steps behind the brunette; he sighed and ran a hand through his blonde hair. "You're going to have to move on sometime" he whispered to Ulrich who of course didn't hear him. Suddenly Ulrich let out a barbaric yell then swung at a nearby tree. His knuckles hit the bark with a sickening crunch causing the boy to draw his hand back in shock. "Crap" Ulrich growled clutching his hand gingerly, hissing in pain he turned and started to make his way back to the hospital. He paused when a snow flake drifted past, "I guess this is good bye" he whispered mournfully.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I'm sorry if this chapter seems rushed and shorter than usual, but I won't be able to post any chapters for a few days due to me going on vacation this weekend. Anyways, thanks for all your support and enjoy.

Odd was buried on a Saturday, it was snowing. The attendance was small, just his former friends and a few staff members from Kadic. To everyone's surprise Jim showed up to play his trombone in a final respect for the young boy. Then as soon as it began it was over, the casket was lowered and everyone went home, that is except for a certain pink haired girl.

Aelita sat stiffly on one of the metal folding chairs that were sat out for Odd's funeral, she had been crying so her cheeks were red. It was just her and what once was Odd, the air was still as if in respect for the young boy. "Aelita, its cold, you need to come back" Yumi said startling the girl in front over her. "I still can't believe he's gone" Aelita whispered as Yumi wrapped her arms around Aelita protectively. "I know, but we have to move on, he would want that" Yumi whispered as she stared sadly at the casket in front of her. Suddenly Aelita sneezed loudly causing Yumi to jump in surprise, "now you've gone and got yourself a cold" Yumi remarked as Aelita sneezed again. "Come on, let's get back to Kadic" Yumi said helping her pink haired friend out of the chair. The pair slowly made their way to the graveyard gate when Aelita stopped suddenly to look back at the coffin behind her. "Goodbye Odd" she whispered sadly before turning and continuing out of the graveyard. "Goodbye my princess" Odd whispered mournfully from his seat beside the chair Aelita was just sitting in.

Jeremy Belpois was sitting beside his desktop computer as was usual for this time of day, spread out around him were disks and other computer hardware. "Almost finished" he whispered as his fingers danced across his keyboard, suddenly an error sign popped up. "What could this be?" He thought as he scanned over the contents of the pop-up. Suddenly a violent pounding on the door tore Jeremy from his computer screen. "Its lunch time Belpois, let's go" Jim's muffled voice said from behind the wooden door. "Alright, i'll be right down" Jeremy responded as he closed the program window and shut down the computer. Getting out if his chair, Jeremy made his way to the large dresser that dominated one side of the room. He pulled out a blue jacket and slipped it on over his thin frame, suddenly he paused and glances over at his computer monitor. Shaking his head Jeremy opened his door and stepped out into the empty hallway.

Odd sat on the railing of the bridge that led to the factory, beneath him was the murky water. "Still hanging around here I see" a sinister voice said from behind the blonde haired teen. Odd glanced behind him to see a man in a black suit walking toward him. "Xana" he grunted nonchalantly as the man leaned up against the rail beside him. "I'm feeling something you humans call depression" Xana said after a short silence. "Join the club" Odd grunted glumly as he turned to look at his companion. "I understand why you fight me, why you protect your friends so fiercely" Xana whispered barely loud enough for Odd to hear. The duo sat there for a few minutes listening to the world around them. "I'm done with this world" Xana growled unhappily as he pushed away from the rail and stalked to the middle of the bridge. "Before I leave, I'll do you one favor" the computer program said when Odd opened his mouth to reply. The blonde teen fell silent, curiously waiting for the man in front of him to continue . "I'm going to remain active for a few hours, during that time you'll notice a change in yourself" Xana said as he slowly began to fade. Then as soon as he had arrived the once diabolical computer program had vanished leaving a very confused Odd.

"It's just not the same anymore" Rosa whispered to herself sadly as she scooped the leftovers from the days lunch into the trash. "I know what you mean" Jim said stirring his hot chocolate slowly, the pair fell into a mournful silence as they watched over the students in the lunch room. Suddenly a thought came to old gym teachers head, he turned to look at Rosa. "Where's Aelita at?" He asked uncertainty, the lunch lady glanced around the room taking in the faces of all the students. "It looks like the whole group that used to be with Odd isn't here" Rosa said after a short pause, Jim glanced over at her. "Let's hope their all okay" he said sadly, "we don't need anything else happening here"

Ulrich Stern sighed and ran his bandaged hand through his brown hair, he was lounging on his bed beside Yumi. Jeremy was in the lone chair in the room, leaving Aelita curled up in Odd's bed crying softly. "We all miss him" Yumi said getting up to console her pink haired friend, Ulrich and Jeremy nodded in unison. "It's bed time, Jim's going to be making his rounds soon enough" Ulrich said after a few minutes of silence. "Ulrich's right, we wouldn't want to get caught" Yumi said standing up leaving Aelita alone on the bed. "Yumi its pretty late, will you stay with me tonight?" Aelita asked as she wiped away the tears that stained her cheeks. "That sounds great, I'll go call my parents" Yumi said leaving the room. "I've got to finish my program, so this is goodnight" Jeremy said as he followed Yumi out the door leaving Aelita and Ulrich alone. "Take that blanket with you princess" the German teen said as he grabbed his towel and turned for the door. "Thanks Ulrich" Aelita whispered as the boy left the room leaving her alone.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Finally chapter 4! It took forever to write but here it is, please enjoy. As always comment, flame, like, or anything else your heart desires. Thank you for taking your time to read and support this story.

Sleep came slowly for Aelita and when it finally fell over her it was restless. Voices swam through her dreams as her head swelled with the events of the last few days. Odd was always there no matter where she was, but he seemed transparent like he wasn't all there. Then suddenly Odd started running away, she called but he didn't stop. Tears started streaming down Aelita's face as she desperately pursued the receding form. "Odd!" She screamed as she sunk to her knees, despair filled her as the blonde teen disappeared into nothingness.

Aelita sat upright gasping for breath, beginning to panic age frantically peered through the darkness. Relief washed over her when her eyes fell on Yumi's sleeping form. Suddenly a spark flew out of a nearby electrical socket followed closely by a dark shadow. "Y-yumi" Aelita stammered as the shadow welled up and slowly took the shape of a human. The Japanese teen rolled over to look at her friend only to find a fully formed Xana straightening his tie. Immediately Yumi sprang in to action by kicking out at the foreboding figure. "Calm down will you" Xana hissed as he grabbed Yumi's leg "I'm not here to fight". "Then what do you want?" Aelita asked suspiciously, Xana released Yumi's leg and turned to Aelita. "I'm leaving this world, our little game is over" Xana said as he ran his hand through his jet black hair. "Why would you give up so easily?" Yumi shot back, still suspicious of her old enemy. "The death of your companion has saddened me" Xana said despite the two girls skeptical faces. "Your a computer, you have no feelings" Yumi spat still not believing what Xana was saying. "That is where you are wrong you pitiful excuse of an organism" Xana growled as he turned to look at Yumi with his intense black eyes. "I have rage, fear, hatred, respect, and compassion to name a few" he hissed vehemently. "How about honor?" Yumi growled holding Xana's piercing gaze. After a few minutes of tense silence Xana backed down, "I didn't come to fight you, just to say goodbye" he said as his form flickered slightly. "For now I bid you farewell" he said before disappearing completely, leaving the two girls alone in the room.

Ulirch sighed and sleepily ran his uninjured hand through his messy brown hair. Beside him Jeremy glanced up from his computer screen to look at the teen beside him. "Didn't get any sleep?" He asked curiously, Ulrich merely nodded as he slowly pushed his food across his plate. Shrugging, Jeremy went back to his computer leaving the two teens in silence. "Our dear friend visited us last night" Yumi said from behind Ulrich making him jump in surprise. "What do you mean, there's no activated towers" Jeremy said launching a scan of Lyoko. "It was Xana himself, he showed up in human form" Yumi said as she sat down beside Ulrich. "What?!" Ulirch exclaimed now fully awake. "He didn't hurt us" Yumi said quickly as she noticed the worried look on Ulrich's face. The German teen sighed in relief and laid his hand on Yumi's. "Then what did he want?" Jeremy asked clearing his throat. Yumi opened her mouth, then closed it as she tried to remember what exactly what happened last night. "He was coming to say goodbye" Yumi said realizing that the enemy they had been fighting for years is finally gone. "It could be a trap, you know to lure us in" Ulrich said skeptical of trusting a diabolical computer programs word. Jeremy slowly shook his head as he typed a few commands into his computer, "he's pulling back to sector five" the blonde teen announced after a short pause. "Are you guys going to eat or chat?" Jim, the schools portly gym teacher, bellowed causing the three teens to jump in surprise. "I've got to get to Biology, see you two during lunch" Yumi announced as she grabbed the white notebook that she put down on the lunch table. "Sounds good to me" Ulrich said as he also left the table leaving Jeremy alone with his computer. "It's finally over" the blonde teen whispered as the last bits of information appeared on his laptop screen.

Snow slowly drifted down from the gray, rolling clouds that hung over France like a massive quilt. Most inhabitants of the city where taking shelter from the weather in their houses, but a certain girl slowly walked down the snow covered road. Aelita carefully picked her way through the snow that filled the road and sidewalk. Suddenly she stopped and looked up at the cemetary gates that loomed over get. Taking a deep breath she stepped through the gates and started walking toward a grave she had visited too many times to count. Reaching a certain snow covered gravestone, Aelita felt sadness creep out of her heart like a bleeding wound. "Xana's leaving, its finally over" she whispered as she slowly sunk to her knees in the snow. Beside her Odd had sat down and was staring into her emerald eyes. "I guess they don't need me anymore" the pink haired teen whispered as she pulled out a small pocket knife she found a few months back. Panic leapt into Odd's heart as he saw Aelita move the blade of the knife to her exposed wrist. "No!" Odd yelled grabbing at Aelita's hand before it was too late. Aelita cried out in surprise as Odd's voice echoed through the empty graveyard, she dropped the knife and slowly looked up into Odd's tear filled eyes. "I-impossible" the pink haired teen gasped in disbelief as she felt Odd's arms wrap around her tightly. The two teens sat in each others arms until Odd broke the silence. "Nothing is impossible" he whispered into Aelita's ear sending shivers down her spine. "But you died, I saw your body" Aelita whimpered as hot tears slowly slid down her cheeks. Odd pulled out of the hug and looked the girl in the eyes, "I'm not saying I didn't" he whispered sadly. "But your here now" Aelita protested desperately causing Odd's features to darken. "I'm not entirely here" he whispered holding up a semi-transparent hand for Aelita to see. Suddenly Odd's form flickered and a look of panic fell over him. "Aelita, you need to move on, keep going with your life" he ordered taking the pink haired teen by the shoulders. "B-but" Aelita started but was stopped by a quick kiss by Odd. "I love you, and I always will" Odd whispered as his form disappeared entirely leaving Aelita alone in the snow.

A/N: This story is nearing an end and everything is being wrapped up, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you to everyone who has been reading and supporting me as I write this story.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I'm really sorry I've been gone for so long. There's been a ton of complications going on in my life, some good…..others not so much. Recently my school showed Footloose and of course I had to go and try out for it. Anyways, enough of my ramblings, here is the newest chapter. Please comment, follow, and favorite if you enjoy this story for more.

Xana slowly paced back and forth over the bridge that led to the abandoned factory that served as his home for so long. Noticing Odd's presence he turned and caught the teens prying eyes. "Still clinging to your existence?" The dark haired man asked as if he was surprised to see what was left of the young boy. "Not much longer, I just have one last thing to do" Odd whispered as he jumped up to sit on the safety rail of the ancient bridge. Xana nodded silently then turned to stalk back to the gaping maw that served as the entrance to the factory that had been his home for so long. "I guess this is goodbye" Odd said sliding off the rail as the dark haired man disappeared into the shadows.

It seemed like hours to Odd as he sat waiting on the bridge, in reality it was only a few minutes. He heard them far before they emerged from the wood line directly to his right. Ulrich was in the front as was custom for the small group of friends. His chocolate brown hair was uncombed and he had bandages wrapped around one fist as if he had hurt it recently. Behind the German teen was Yumi who was obviously not enjoying herself as she got closer to what she believed was a trap. Aelita and Jeremy brought up the rear side by side, neither of them talking.

"Looks like Xana is being serious" Ulrich muttered when he reached the edge of the bridge, behind him Yumi merely grunted. "Let's hope he keeps his promise" Jeremy interjected as he straightened the wide rimmed glasses in his nose.

As the group passed by Odd dropped down from his perch and fell in line beside Aelita. He followed the group all the way to the elevator where they solemnly crowded into the small space. The blonde glanced over at Aelita sadly; he slipped his hand into hers and gripped it tightly. A small smile graced Aelita's lips as she felt Odd's hand in hers, even though she couldn't see him he was there.

The elevator ride ended quickly, too quickly for Aelita's liking. The doors hissed open revealing the massive supercomputer's core sitting in the middle of the room. Yumi was the first to step out; the others followed her with less enthusiasm. "Aelita should have the honor" Ulrich announced when Jeremy made a move for the switch. "Be ready to turn it back on if this is a trap" the blonde Einstein replied stepping back to make room.

Aelita took a deep breath and stepped forward tentatively, behind her Odd placed his hand on her shoulder. "Remember me princess" he whispered as the Aelita took hold of the switch in her shaky hands. Suddenly she stopped and shook her head causing her pink hair to sway.

"I-I can't do it" she stammered in defeat, Yumi stepped forward to do it herself but something stopped her. Odd's hands drifted down to Aelita's and guided them back to the switch. "I will always love you" he whispered before Aelita flipped the switch.

As soon as the switch was shut off, the humming from the computer died off as well as Odd's touch. "It's finally over" Ulrich whispered in shock, the teens exchanged mixed glances as memories of Lyoko danced through their heads.

Three years after that fateful day in the factory Aelita and Jeremy finally started officially announced their relationship. Five years later they got married and soon had children. In all the couple had three children, their names where Lilly, Franz, and Odd. Even though she was more than happy with Jeremy Aelita could never bring herself to forget her time with Odd. On days when everything seemed bleak she sat down and thought about him and how his smile could vanquish any bad mood. Jeremy died a few weeks after his eighty-seventh birthday, Aelita followed four years later.

Yumi and Ulrich dated on and off until Ulrich got a contract to play futböl in England. Even though they were separated by miles of water the pair still kept contact through the years. When Ulrich retired due to a injury that he'd never recover, Yumi was at his side helping him along the way. They married within a year and had two children, Max and Allison. After accepting that he would never play ball again, Ulrich settled down as the gym teacher at Kadic Academy. Yumi followed her husband to Kadic as a science teacher, after Jim Morales passed away she took over as vice principal.

Sissi graduated from Kadic and began studying to be a botanist until her father died of a heart attack. The board of education asked Sissi to take over as headmaster of Kadic. She accepted and appointed Jim Morales as her vice principal. After two years on the job, Sissi fell in love with the school's police officer, Hardy. The couple married in a matter of months and had two children. Jim continued to work at Kadic for seven years until he was forced to retire due to health complications; he passed away two weeks later.

The gang never forgot Odd, and every year on the anniversary of his death they would all gather at the factory to remember a young blonde who never stopped smiling. Memories where shared, some happy, others not so much. Whenever the subject of Odd came up there were no tears, only smiles, any less would be an insult to the teen's memory. Even though everyone took Odd's death hard they stayed strong, knowing that the blonde was watching them from heaven with a goofy smile plastered to his face.


End file.
